Post 9/11: the year in review - Post News - analysis of the video post production market - Industry Overview

Post, Sept, 2002 by Matthew Armstrong

"Before, you just negotiated the rate, now it's tearing down the creative a little so there's negotiating on the creative side as well," says Soussan. "We don't bid projects outright, we just give the client options. There's a lot of pre-bidding too when clients come in just to see if a concept is doable."

What concerns him is that other companies are taking some of these lower-paying, but labor-intensive jobs. "Some companies are charging less just to pay for their overhead. It's bad business. On their way these companies will take others down with them."

Despite the economic climate, Soussan remains stubbornly optimistic. "You can't take anything for granted. Not a client not a job, not a company They could all be gone tomorrow. If we come out of our first year with a profit, I think we'll be in good shape."

And what about WalkerRecordings, which opened on 9/10? With commercial work largely stagnant for months following Sept. 11 Walker returned to his musical recording, mixing and producing roots.

Petit contacted those he'd worked with in the music industry and subsisted on recording and mixing music for the first few months. Since then, other work has picked up. "It seems like the economy is coming around. Maybe it's that I hired a marketing person. Maybe it's just that [agencies] have to start preparing for Christmas. So it feels like it's getting better," says Petit adding, "But that and $1.50 gets you on the subway."